"You ain't no Muslim, bruv!" Londoners mock attacker
LONDON - Counter-terrorism police in Britain are investigating a stabbing at a London Underground station in which a suspect injured three people with a knife and reportedly said "This is for Syria."
The stabbing comes only days after Britain's Parliament gave overwhelming approval to authorizing the military to conduct airstrikes on Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) targets in Syria.
Like many other European countries, authorities in Britain are already on edge after Islamic extremist attacks in Paris last month left 130 people dead. The last extremist attack in Britain was in May 2013, when two British-born, al Qaeda-inspired extremists stabbed an off-duty soldier to death on a busy London street in a grisly killing the shook the capital.
Police arrested a man believed to be 29 years old late Saturday and said they are treating the attack at east London's Leytonstone subway station as a "terrorist incident." They declined to say whether they are looking for other suspects, saying probes are ongoing.
In a statement, police said the man had been charged with attempted murder.
One man suffered serious knife injuries, while two others received minor injuries. None of the injuries are believed to be life threatening.
Videos shot at the scene show the suspect lunging at police officers as they tried to subdue him. In one video, someone can be heard telling the man "put it down you fool."
He was eventually pinned down after a stun gun was used. There were also reports that Underground riders pelted the suspect with bottles during the attack.
Detective Superintendent Jacqueline Sebire, said in an official statement: "This incident highlights the risks taken by our officers on a daily basis. When they are called to incidents such as these, they enter, not knowing what awaits them. I would like to take this opportunity to praise not only their bravery in confronting the man who was in possession of a knife, but also their quick response in providing first aid to the victim whilst offering reassurance to the many members of the public who were travelling through the underground."
In one video, a man can be heard telling the attacker "You ain't no Muslim, bruv!"
The phrase spawned an outpouring on social media, and #youaintnomuslim and #youaintnomuslimbruv began trending on Twitter.
The suspect remained in custody at a police station Sunday.
Commander Richard Walton, who leads the London police's Counter Terrorism Command, said after the incident: "I would continue to urge the public to remain calm, but alert and vigilant. The threat from terrorism remains at severe, which means that a terrorist attack is highly likely."